10 Reasons Why the Spirit Awards Are Better Than The Oscars

When it comes to honoring the year in film, you can keep your Oscars with their stuffy ceremony and fussy nominees. Who honestly wants to sit through the former sixth lead of Growing Pains (we remember where you came from, Leo) acting like he’s just won the Nobel Peace Prize for fighting a CGI bear? It’s all so important over there. Meanwhile, at the Spirit Awards, everyone is drunk. Now that’s a party! Here are just a few of the reasons the 2016 Film Independent Spirit Awards, airing this Saturday, Feb. 27th, live at 5P ET/2P PT, consistently takes the cake for most fun awards show of the season. (Click here to find IFC on your TV in your area. You can also stream the show live on IFC.com through your cable provider.)

10. There’s booze, and lots of it.

The drinks flow at the Spirit Awards, keeping the vibe loose. You can’t be that pretentious when you have trouble standing to accept your award. Just ask screenwriter Derek Connolly, who famously refused to leave the stage while accepting the Best First Screenplay Award in 2013 for Safety Not Guaranteed. Thankfully, a quick thinking Bryan Cranston, still sporting his magnificent bald dome, acted as an impromptu bartender and lured the slurry screenwriter off the stage with the promise of more booze.

9. It has the best hosts.

While Chris Rock should bring some edge to this year’s Oscars ceremony, the Academy has a tendency to pick safe hosts like Ellen DeGeneres, Neil Patrick Harris and Billy Crystal. But the Spirit Awards relish in proving they don’t give a damn. Their M.O. seems to be picking people who are currently killing it in the comedy game. Patton Oswalt, Fred Armisen, and Sarah Silverman have all taken their turn offending the room. Just look at this year’s hosts, Kumail Nanjiani and soon-to-be Ghostbuster Kate McKinnon, to get an idea of how the ISAs picks comedy chops over star power. If you know how to make fun of filmmakers for being cheap and egotistical, you’ve got a home at the Spirit Awards.

8. As a result, it’s, um, actually funny.

While the forced banter at the Oscars can often feel like recycled jokes from previous ceremonies, the Spirit Awards stands out for actually being funny. Whether it’s Joel McHale having an In Memoriam for the celebrities that will probably die next year, or Fred Armisen getting slapped by Miles Teller for not making enough Portlandia, the Spirit Awards view the comedy bits as more than just filler.

7. It’s also very filthy.

It’s no shocker when you have Sarah Silverman or Seth Rogen host your show, the censors are going to have a few conniption fits. The amazing thing about the Spirit Awards is that it feels like there are no rules. F bombs drop. Filth rains supreme. This isn’t a show for your grandparents, unless they swear like sailors and like movies starring Michael Shannon.

6. Sometimes it rocks!

While the Oscars trot out Rob Lowe singing to fairy princesses and explain film editing through The Lord of the Dance, when the Spirit Awards want some music, they set the Mother F*#%in’ place on fire. After a documentary about the heavy metal band Anvil broke big in 2008, they had the group tear the roof, er, tent off of the Spirit Awards. If you want your face to remain unmelted, then maybe this isn’t the show for you.

5. It has whatever this is…

When you have a show with no rules, then anything can happen. So when you give out free booze, and then give an award to Mickey Rourke, well…just watch. (Obviously, NSFW. Seriously)

4. Bill Murray actually wins.

How can the Oscars claim to honor the best in film, and yet Bill Murray has never won a single award? Bill Murray! He improvised the Dalai Lama monologue in Caddyshack! He’s a Ghostbuster! Thankfully, the Spirit Awards made up for this gross miscarriage of justice in 2004 by awarding him the Best Male Lead statue for his role in Lost in Translation. Now that’s probably a day Bill wouldn’t mind living over and over again.

3. It actually honors independent cinema.

Film Independent

We all love big movies, but what makes the Spirit Awards stand out is their focus on independence. The majority of the films nominated were made because the filmmakers believed in them, not because they were hoping to get rich, or even chase an award. These are labors of love, made by artists who spent years fighting to realize them. And because of that, there are a dizzying array of styles, stories and scales. Movie star power and big budgets can win you gold statues, but to take home a Spirit Award you need to do something truly special.

2. The nominees are diverse.

With #OscarsSoWhite the talk of this year’s awards season, it’s refreshing to see a crop of diverse nominees vying for Spirit Awards. From acting nods for everyone from Koudous Seihon and Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, to Best Feature nominees like Tangerine and Beasts of No Nation, this year’s Spirit Awards reflect the world we all live in and give the Oscars something to strive towards.

1. Did we mention there’s booze?

Celebrities — They’re just like us when they’re drunk. Very, very funny.

The Best Of The Last

The end is near. In mere days Portlandia wraps up its final season, and oh what a season it’s been. Lucky for you, you can watch the entire season right now right here and on the IFC app, including this free episode courtesy of Subaru.

But now, let’s take a moment to look back at some of the new classics Fred and Carrie have so thoughtfully bestowed upon us. (We’ll be looking back through tear-blurred eyes, but you do you.)

Couples Dinner

It’s not that being single sucks, it’s that you suck if you’re single.

Cancel it!

A sketch for anyone who has cancelled more appointments than they’ve kept. Which is everyone.

Forgotten America

This one’s a “Serial” killer…everything both right and wrong about true crime podcasts.

Wedding Planners

The only bad wedding is a boring wedding.

Disaster Hut

It’s only the end of the world if your doomsday kit doesn’t include rosé.

Your Portlandia Personality Test

Carrie and Fred understand that although we have so much in common, we’re each so beautifully unique and different. To help us navigate those differences, Portlandia has found an easy and honest way to embrace our special selves in the form of a progressive new traffic system: a specific lane for every kind of driver. It’s all in honor of the show’s 8th and final season, and it’s all presented by Subaru.

Ready to find out who you really are? Match your personality to a lane and hop on the expressway to self-understanding.

Lane 10: Trucks Piled With Junk

Your junk is falling out of your trunk. Shake a tail light, people — this lane is for you.

Lane 33: Twins

You’re like a Gemini, but waaaay more pedestrian. Maybe you and a friend just wear the same outfits a lot. Who cares, it’s just twinning enough to make you feel special.

Lane 27: Broken Windows

Bad luck follows you around and everyone knows it. Your proverbial seat is always damp from proverbial rain. Is this the universe telling you to swallow your pride? Yes.

Lane 69: Filthy Cars

You’re all about convenience. Getting your car washed while you drive is a no-brainer.

Lane 43: Newly Divorced Singles

It’s been a while since you’ve driven alone, and you don’t know the rules of the road anymore. What’s too fast? What’s too slow? Are you sending the right signals? Don’t worry, the breakdown lane is nearby if you need it.

Still can’t find a lane to match your personality? Check out all the videos here. And see the final season of Portlandia this spring on IFC.

Last-Minute Holiday Gift Guide

It’s the final countdown to Christmas and thanks to IFC’s movie marathon all Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, you can revel in classic ’80s films AND find inspiration for your last-minute gifts. Here are our recommendations, if you need a head start:

Musical Instrument

Great analog entertainment substitute when you refuse to give your kid the Nintendo Switch they’ve been drooling over.

Breakfast In Bed

Any significant other or child would appreciate these Uncle Buck-approved flapjacks. Just make sure you’re not stuck on clean up duty.

Cocktail Supplies

You’ll need them to get through the holidays.

Dance Lessons

So you can learn to shake-shake-shake (unless you know ghosts willing to lend a hand).

Comfy Clothes

With all the holiday meals, there may be some…embigenning.

Get even more great inspiration all Christmas Eve and Day on IFC, and remember…